TAGS:
Bead-weaving
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Bead Embroidery
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Glass Beads
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Crystals

It's barely summer and already I'm feeling a little bit of that annual laziness take hold, the kind of days where I just want to sit outside with a lemonade and look at pretty pictures. Thank goodness for the Battle of the Beadsmith ... and for Beadwork editor Melinda Barta who asked me to write...

Thanks to beaders like those of you reading this (no, really -- thank you!), bead-weaving and jewelry making have evolved and been accepted by a much wider audience as fine bead crafts. Look at the artists showing their work in any high-end craft show, and you'll find a healthy selection of artists...

So, I've got a half dozen colors of the new O-beads sitting on my bead board, and a handful of round glass druks, and I need an idea for a bracelet making project. Up until now, I've only ever used the O-beads as embellishments for bead embroidery, but I've been positively drooling over the...

Downton Abbey is back! Have you seen the season premiere, yet? I'm looking forward to seven more weeks full of drama, glamor, and of course, those delicious period costumes and jewelry! Nothing inspires a good necklace making project for me like seeing a vintage beaded necklace and then trying to...

From Jennifer: I think I love the stories behind my favorite glass beads for bead-weaving almost as much as the beads themselves! For me, bugle beads bring back memories of when I first started learning how to bead -- I made dozens of pairs of beaded earrings with lots of bugle bead fringe. I collected...

Beadwork by Kelly Angeley The best thing about bead weaving is, of course, the beads! And if you're serious about having fun with your bead-weaving and designing your own beaded jewelry designs, it's a good idea to think about creating a consistent body of work, just like any other artist. Being...

The next time you need a little inspiration for a bracelet making project, head on over to your local thrift shop, junk shop, or resale shop. Chances are, you'll find loads of inexpensive jewelry that's just waiting to be turned into something new and beautiful! A few weeks ago, my father-in...

Do you remember where you were 6 years ago, in August of 2007? I certainly do: I was five months pregnant with my son, and I was starting to make plans for launching my own jewelry business. Also that summer, I remember the launch of a new online beading community: Beading Daily! I can hardly believe...

In case I haven't mentioned it lately, I'm addicted to cabochons . If you take a look through my bead stash, you'll find drawers and drawers full of them -- gemstone cabochons, handmade ceramic and porcelain cabochons, even vintage Lucite cabochons and cabochons made from things like resin...

On my recent trip to Bead Fest Philadelphia, I made a trip across the river to southern New Jersey, where I got to meet up with the fabulous Amy Blevins and see her gorgeous bead shop, Bead & Glass Boutique . When I travel, I like to seek out small, independent bead shops and do a little shopping...

Triangulations by Kathie Khaladkar Crystal beads are everywhere these days! When I was at the Tucson bead shows earlier this year, you couldn't turn around without seeing some glitz and glam, and walls and walls of sparkling crystal beads. Truthfully, I was not a huge fan of crystal beads when I...

As crafters, why do we love to do what we do? I've met a lot of beaders during the last ten years, and I've even created some new beaders through my beading classes, and they all have one thing in common: they are utterly passionate about beads and beading. We all have our different reasons for...

More than 150 beaders from around the world submitted their beaded jewelry designs to the Glass Bead Challenge! The variety of entries was astonishing--every color palette imaginable and all types of glass beads from crystals and pressed glass to lampwork. After the blind judging was complete (entries...